John Bleasby
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Chuck’s crew have offended his clients with their bad language. They want them all fired.
Contractor Chuck Abrahamson is building a vacation home in cottage country for Bill and Sarah Perkins, a middle-aged couple from the big city. With winter closing in, Chuck and his crew are working hard to close the building off before the extreme weather arrives.
Chuck likes his clients. They’ve met on several occasions to go over the architect’s design, making small changes along the way without additional costs being incurred.
Chuck’s policy is for clients to make site visits by appointment only. He finds unexpected visits both distracting and a safety issue. The Perkins seemed fine with that, since they could only come up on weekends anyway.
However, in early November a number of Chuck’s guys decided to work all day Saturday to take advantage of some warm weather. Chuck had other commitments but told them to go ahead on their own.
Save it for the locker room!
The boys were a close team who liked to joke and kid each other on the job site. They sometimes used language that was, unfortunately, profane. Chuck had warned them before to keep that stuff to themselves. But when Bill and Sarah showed up for a surprise visit on this particular Saturday, the boys were already well into their locker room banter. Having never met the Perkins, the boys had no idea who they were. They asked them to stay clear of the work area.
The Perkins were upset by the language and by what they considered the disrespectful manner in which they were treated. They called the architect that evening to demand Chuck’s crew be taken off the job immediately and replaced with workers who did not use obscenities.
Chuck got the call from the architect, somewhat apologetically, that evening. Neither had prior knowledge of the Perkins’ sensitivities to language, but they both knew that the crew was irreplaceable.
What would you do if you were Chuck?
- Accept the news, demand immediate payment for work completed, and leave the site.
- Tell the Perkins that, in actual fact, they are threatening to break a legal contract.
- Tell the Perkins that they will try to find workers who are more sensitive to their feelings.
- Ask the architect to intervene and explain to the Perkins the risks of firing a work crew while the building is open to the elements and winter is fast approaching
- Grovel, and request a face-to-face meeting with the Perkins in order to extend an apology and explain that and that his crew are dedicated to the completion of their project on time, on budget, and to their satisfaction…. then pray for the best!
- Some other option (please describe briefly)
Please send your answer and a concise explanation directly to John Bleasby
jbleasby@canadiancontractor.ca
Deadline for entries is March 4th
All entries will be eligible to win a DeWalt 20V MAX Torque Impact Wrench
(retail value $549)
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@john_bleasby
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Because I have established a good relationship with my customers. I would ask my customer if I could take a quick look at the other two estimates just to compare apples to apples. Usually you will find critical differences within the estimates giving you an explanation as to price difference. You’re also vouching for your sub trade, to the quality of his work, his integrity honesty etc. etc. which is a referral that you can’t put a price on compared to hiring somebody you don’t know. Cheapest can sometimes be the most expensive as well.
Let them know the cheapest is not the best, this is a recommended sub trade that you have used in the past & he warranties his work.
Chuck should talk to the Perkins and tell them that they entered the job site without setting up an appointment with him as per his policies, and this is a distraction for his workers and a safety issue that will not be tolerated. They never would have heard anything if they were not there against policy! So next time make an appointment with him so he can make sure this does not happen again! Tell the Perkins that he and his crew have worked hard and are putting in extra hours to get things closed in before winter hits. And they have also done the changes to the plans at no extra charge. If you (the Perkins) still want to break the contract then pay me (Chuck) up to date, in full, right now, and they are out of there. Otherwise let us finish what we have started so we can finish on time, on budget and the work done to the specs and the Perkins satisfaction. Then ask, so are we still working or are you going to cut me a cheque? The next line from the Perkins will tell Chuck what they need to do, back to work or gone home. I like to tell people to remember that I am the boss and they are the customer. That needs to be totally understood. It is a nice day to go fishing anyways! I have done this before and 9 times out of 10 I do not get to go fishing. It all comes down to how bad they want the job done and whether they really want to breach the contract. That is why there are lawyers after all. Business is hard so BE HARD!!! If you bend then customers will break you.
Hi John,
I would use 4 and 5
The best thing to do is to talk to everyone involved reasonably and without threats.
You let your employees know that they have offended the clients, and require them to apologize to them if they see them again. They don’t have to grovel, just a simple apology. It’s just being polite, as they should be to everyone. It’s a good time to remind your guys that their behavior(not just their workmanship) can affect the bottom line of the business. They are not working in a locker room. they are working at someone’s home.
You talk to the architect and let him know that you have spoken to your employees and it’s not going to happen again. Asking him to speak to the client about being reasonable might help.
Most importantly, you talk directly to the clients , make your own simple apology for your employees behavior and make clear that it is not going to happen again. I have found that my clients are reasonable if we just treat them as we would want to be treated. To start off by making threats about breaking a contract would just increase tension and make a situation confrontational that does not need to be.